Boatswain's Call

Boatswain's Call
(Approx 12cm length)

Boatswain's Call

The use of the Boatswains call in English ships can be traced back to the days of the Crusades (AD 1248). The boatswain's call was used to pass commands to the crew when the voice could not be heard over the sounds of the sea.

Piping remains a Naval method of passing orders and information, and every Sea Cadet should know how to use a Boatswains Call and how to pipe an order. Orders passed are known as Pipes. The expression, to pipe, means to make a sound on the boatswains call and to give a spoken order, which may qualify it. Some pipes are orders in themselves and do not require any verbal addition.